Page 51 of In the Embrace of Dragons

VIZARIOS

Ihave a plan to convince my wife to fall in love with me.

The next morning, I stalk to my office with Ragnakor in tow, full of purpose. Syzari is already there eating breakfast. She works nearly as much as I do.

“Your Majesty,” she says, standing up in surprise when I come in so early.

“Sit down, sit down.”

Ragnakor takes his position outside the door, but he’s listening with interest. Syzari obediently sits, and I plant myself across from her.

“I need to send a pigeon,” I tell her. “To the human kingdom.”

“What?” She leans forward suspiciously. “What for?”

“The queen had a handmaid.” I try to be as patient as I can, even though I am impatient already to launch my idea. “A woman named Ari. I want her sent here as soon as possible.”

Perhaps this is something I can do to endear Nissia to me.I know I have little in the way of charms, so I have to make up ground where I can.

Syzari stares at me as if my scales have changed color in front of her.

“So you would like me to write a letter to the human king,” Syzari says slowly, “requesting the queen’s handmaid come to Selvumrrest.”

“Did you not hear me the first time?”

A disbelieving laugh escapes her. “No, I did. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind.” She gets up. “I’ll go take care of it right now, Your Majesty.”

I wave her off, and she has a smile I don’t like as she departs the room. It will be some weeks yet before the requested handmaid gets here, and I don’t know if I can last that long, but I will try.

Nissia is clearly shockedwhen I come to eat dinner at the same time she does, dressed in something more casual. My cock responds immediately to seeing her. Her brown puppy is friendlier with me, bounding up and licking my hand with its filthy mouth. She doesn’t seem to mind it at all, though, picking up the creature and nosing its little wet snout.

“Who’s a good girl?” she says to the dog before setting it on the ground to eat its own dinner. “You’re a good girl!”

“You ought to start training it,” I say as Ragnakor stands guard. “Teach it good manners from the beginning.”

“Aw.” She pets the dog’s head. “But Daina’s just a baby. She doesn’t need training yet.”

“Dogs need training from the very first moment.”

She cocks her head at me. “How do you know so much about dogs?”

“My mother had many of them. She liked dogs very much.”

It hurts to remember how happy she looked whenever she was with them, her trail of hounds following her around the castle. She was not a hunter, like Nissia, but she kept them for their companionship. Mother began training them from the first day, teaching them how to answer to a treat so they would be primed later in life to follow her commands.

Nissia lets out a thoughtful hum and sets the puppy on the floor as a servant arrives with our meal.

“And how was your sparring last night?” I ask, trying my best to appear interested. I suppose it does interest me to a degree that she enjoys sword fighting. Perhaps I should take up Ragnakor’s invitation sometime to watch.

Her brows arch high on her forehead. “Oh, um. It was good. Right, Captain?” She turns to Ragnakor, and he ducks his head to agree. “I got him on the ropes a few times.”

I glance at the captain, surprised by this. He’s one of the best fighters in the kingdom. It’s one of the reasons I chose him to be my personal guard.

“Indeed,” Ragnakor says, reluctant to interrupt our dinner. “The queen is agile on her feet and thinks quickly. I have to stay on my toes when we are in the training yard.”

And then, he smiles. It’s small, just at the edges of his mouth, but it happens the moment his eyes connect with hers.

I’m flabbergasted as Nissia quickly turns her head back to me. “See, I’m not totally useless.”